Curriculum and Instruction: Elementary Education Concentration
This 36-credit hour program is designed primarily for classroom teachers in early childhood or elementary education who want to gain additional professional knowledge and skills. Content focuses upon the areas of curriculum and advanced methodology, as well as theory and practice courses. This program does not lead to initial teaching certification.
Professional Education Core Courses
| EDUC 502 | Technology for Teaching, Learning & Leadership | 3.0 |
| EDUC 577 | Introduction to Educational Research | 3.0 |
| EDUC 581 | Research-Based Teaching, Learning & Assessment | 3.0 |
| EDUC 582 | Educational Philosophy in a Diverse Society | 3.0 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 12.0 |
Foundation Courses (12 credits):
In addition to the four professional education core courses for the M.S. degree, students must complete four elementary education foundation courses (12 credits):
| EDUC 533 | Effective Home-School Interaction: Research & Practice | 3.0 |
| EDUC 534 | Current Issues in Early Childhood & Elementary Education | 3.0 |
| EDUC 561 | Teaching Diverse Learners in an Inclusive Setting | 3.0 |
| EDUC 583 | Principles of Curriculum Development & Appraisal | 3.0 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 12.0 |
Content Electives (9 credits)
In addition to the professional education core and foundation courses, the candidate must select three elective courses from different curriculum areas. One must be taken in reading. Substitutions are permitted with approval by the program director or academic advisor. (9 credits)
Reading
| EDUC 511 | Children's Literature | 3.0 |
| EDUC 517 | Materials for Teaching Reading: Instruction & Methods | 3.0 |
| EDUC 518 | Reading Instruction: Elementary | 3.0 |
| EDUC 520 | Reading Diagnosis | 3.0 |
| EDUC 521 | Contemporary Issues in the Teaching of Reading | 3.0 |
| EDUC 535 | Integrating the Elementary Curriculum through Language Arts | 3.0 |
| EDUC 599LETRS1 | LETRS Word Recognition: Units 1 & 2 | 3.0 |
| EDUC 599LETRS2 | LETRS Word Recognition: Units 3 & 4 | 3.0 |
Mathematics/STEM
| EDMA 530 | Mathematics Education Leadership I | 3.0 |
| EDUC 530 | K-12 Blended Learning | 3.0 |
| EDUC 540 | Modern Science Methods | 3.0 |
| EDUC 545 | Modern Mathematics Methods | 3.0 |
| EDUC 546 | The Teaching of Numbers,Operations & Algebraic Thinking in Elementary & Middle School | 3.0 |
| EDUC 547 | The Teaching of Geometry & Measurement in Elementary & Middle School | 3.0 |
| EDUC 553 | Foundations of Elementary STEM (Science-Technology-Engineering-Mathematics) Education | 3.0 |
Special Populations
| EDUC 500 | Methods for Teaching Multilingual Learners | 3.0 |
| EDUC 574 | Curriculum & Methods in Inclusive Classrooms: English Language Arts & Social Studies | 3.0 |
| EDUC 576 | Curriculum & Methods in Inclusive Classrooms: Math and Science | 3.0 |
Capstone Courses (3 credits):
Candidates enrolled in the M.S. in Curriculum and Instruction degree program in capstone course must successfully meet the following requirements:
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Maintain a 3.0 cumulative grade point average in the capstone courses: EDUC 597A and EDUC 597B Capstone Research Project.
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Complete acceptable performance activities as part of the collaborative practice component in EDUC 597A and EDUC 597B.
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Successful evaluation of a yearlong action research project.
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Complete the Exit Survey, a self-assessment measure on the Institutional Outcomes
The Capstone project is year-long, split across two courses and terms: EDUC 597A in the Fall and EDUC 597B in the Spring. Each course is 1.5 credits each, for a total of 3 credits for the project.
Program Follow Up
Program completers in the Curriculum and Instruction program will complete the following activities:
- Program Evaluation Survey at the completion of the action research course.
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Program Survey one year after program completion